Holy Land
by Tako Phin
Summary: Echizen had a club to lead. Tooyama had school works to do. But during their match, none of that mattered. They would not let anything stain their holy land. Written for Super Rookies Pair Week on Tumblr.
**I saw BlackJoker77 posting stories with different pairings each week. I haven't been paying attention to it at all until recently, when I found out it was a form of challenge. You can find it here:**
 **tenipurishippingweeks . tumblr. co m (remove the spaces)**

 **So I decided to join in the fun~**

 **Super Rookies Pair Week Day 4 prompt: Fight**

 **PS: ANY OF YOU READING THIS AND IS CAPABLE OF WRITING SHOULD JOIN IN TOO. REVIVE THIS FANDOM YO!**

* * *

1.

That unofficial one shot match was how they met.

The East was in uproar upon a rookie that defeated the Emperor. The West was clamoring about a beast that swept through the tournaments.

Other people would have thought the two to be the same: a ruthless and extremely talented rookie.

When Tooyama saw Koshimae for the first time, he though the guy was an iceberg. Kinda weird for the guy that supposedly was made of steel, poisonous claws and three eyes. He's less cool.

When Echizen saw Tooyama, he did not believe a literal cavemen still exist in this era. Loud, brash and idiot beyond humanly possible.

The fight ended with a stalemate. The ball was split in half. Perhaps, both of them thought, they were not so different after all.

2.

As a sophomore, Echizen was more aware of his responsibilities towards the club. He was proud, rightfully so. But he was more willing to accommodate to those who were significantly below him.

As a sophomore, Tooyama...did not seem to change one bit. At best he only grew slightly taller, but still shorter than Echizen. He was still as obnoxious as before.

Their second fight was on the national stage, this time official.

"No splitting the ball this time." Echizen smirked.

"No barred holds Koshimae!" Tooyama declared confidently.

In this match Echizen could appreciate how this cavemen, despite the idiocy, had extraordinary persistence that allowed him to achieve pinnacle of perfection. Perhaps all Tooyama's brain cells were channeled towards tennis.

Tooyama was amazed at how incredibly gifted Koshimae was, having attained pinnacle of perfection earlier than him. But beyond that, Koshimae was as passionate about tennis as he was.

In their fight, it was not about winning or losing.

The fight ended in Seigaku's favor. They did not care. They only wished for the match to last longer.

3.

As the captain, Echizen was tasked in bringing Seigaku to its third national victory.

As a senior student, Tooyama was compelled to get his grades beyond the passing mark in order to graduate.

When they met on the national championship, both of them could see the emptiness in the eyes of one another. They were not present on the basis of enjoying tennis. Reflected in each other's eyes was the heavy burden they had to carry.

"I'll win this match."

"No Echizen. I gotta win this."

When the first hit was exchanged, the memories of their past fights flooded back.

This match was how they come to meet one another. This match was also how they come to understand each other better.

These fights were all they had of their memories together.

Echizen exchanged looks with Tooyama. Both of them grinned. The seal gave way, floods of emotions flared up in their eyes. Longing, regret but mostly mirth.

They could see each other for one last time.

"You've still got a long way to go, Tooyama!"

Echizen had a club to lead. Tooyama had school works to do. But during their match, none of that mattered.

"You have long road too, Koshimae!"

They would not let anything stain their holy land.

* * *

 **About the pair: Echizen is actually one of my least favorite character. I thought of him as some kind of Gary Stu. At least now I grow to accept him as an absurdly talented guy. On the other hand, I know about Tooyama so much that at one point I called him Koshimae instead XD**  
 **Also fight=match. don't question it :P**

 **Also this is originally posted in AO3. I want to spread the news about this challenge so here I am~**


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